hi guys

I'm new to this forum. I just bought a few 2001 Accord EXL 4cyl 5 speed a few weeks ago for my wife. Yesterday she said the brakes started making a loud noise while driving. I drove the car and it looks like the caliper is stuck in the closed position. It is rubbing when you drive the car, and there's a loud grinding noise when you apply the brakes. The rotor on the front driver's side looks like its scored a little bit. Will it need new rotors now or can they be resurfaced?

thanks..

 

Resurfacing vs. replacing rotors depends on how thick they are. If they're not thick enough, the place is supposed to refuse to do it. But you should also consider if they're much different from each other, you should replace them anyway so they match.

More important, you better check the caliper slide pins & get them un-stuck so you don't continue trashing your rotors...

 

jim,

thanks for your reply. I dropped the car off at sears last night. They checked it and said it needs the driver's side rotor, AND TWO Front calipers. Dosn't sound right, only the driver's side is a problem. Why do they want to replace the passneger side caliper, there is nothing wrong on that side. I'm going to get my car back and take it somewhere else.

BTW, is this a common problem on accords? Does the caliper always need to be changed if its sticking?

thanks.

 

Sometimes a shop will refuse to replace only one side, just so they're balanced. But I would have expected them to say that about the rotors, not the calipers. Still, I'm not looking at your car firsthand...

When a caliper is sticking, most often it's the slide pins. Those can be removed, cleaned, greased, & put back together. Even if they're trashed, you can buy the slide pins themselves. Sticking piston within the caliper is less common, but it happens. If you've been driving for a while with dragging brakes, the high temperature could have damaged piston seals, etc.

Maybe they're right, but it doesn't hurt to get another shop to look.

 

Most likely the slide pins are not sufficiently lubricated. That is the most common cause of sticking calipers. Takes about five minutes and about ten cents worth of grease.

I'd buy a washing machine from Sears...